On Living With The Seasons | Bye for now, Summer
Film photo from Jasper National Park, Alberta
This week felt truly like the end of summer, it’s a little fresher at night, I put my fans away, the fruit stand guy packed up & left town, and I’m slowly wearing my dresses less and less.
We’ve still got some solid sunny days coming up, which you bet your ass I’m going to make the most of, but it’s got me ready to shift into a new season.
I’ve now lived in Canada for 7 years (I’m from NZ, if you didn’t know!), and every year I’m reminded to soak up each season as it comes, because soon enough we’ll be onto the next one. Where I’m from in NZ, we do have seasons, but not like British Columbia. They’re truly SEASONS here, all four of ‘em.
The summers are hot and we get to make the most of the incredible nature we’re surrounded by, the winters are snowy-ish, very cold, and probably rainy as shit if you’re in the lower south west corner of the country… And spring & fall are slapped in the middle of those two, to ease us in and out.
I’ve been living with the seasons, and leaning into it more and more each year, but this year it crossed my mind to do a proper lil send off, in my own way, for summer. It’s my season, I absolutely LOVE IT, and I’m also ready for fall.
In this post I thought I’d share a round up of some of my favourite photos from the summer, alongside some of the stuff I did, and what I’m thinking about as we roll out of the sun into the season of cute layers and hot chocs and rainy adventures.
Feel free to take any of these prompts & use ‘em as your own, too.
Let’s start with recapping what happened… No judgement. Just a bunch of shit I remember about summer.
Camping in the forest, above the river, for my annual first trip of the year. 🏕️ Getting my solo road trip mojo back, driving almost 1,000km in one day, solo, to get to Jasper. 😊 Landing in a place where I had zero doubt I was exactly where I was supposed to be, in the Rockies. ⛰️ Swimming in a lake in the Rockies for the first time ever, in Jasper. 🏊♀️ Almost coming face to face with a Grizzly… in the middle of a campground. 🐻 Launching this blog! ✍️ Launching my podcast, Pivot Playground. 🛝 Swimming in the ocean a LOT. 🌞 Launched the Summer Design Club, and had sooo much fun with it. 👌 Spent a couple weeks hanging out with my mum. 🙏 Donated almost 100% of the ‘self-help’ books in my house. 📚 Upgraded some pieces in my closet, and found some new ones that I love, that feel like me. 😍 Made choices in my business that support my lifestyle. 👍 Went on a group sailing trip that I was kinda nervous for, and had the best time, and met some awesome people. ⚓️ Navigating sticky-ish situations in friendships. 🙃 Taking an un-intentional break from my movement routine… and then wondering why I lack energy, focus, etc, lol. 😆 Checking out the butterfly garden on the island. 🦋 Day tripping to the lake. 🐟
Sailing, out of Vancouver, BC, on film.
Pyramid Lake, Jasper National Park, on film.
What was the most memorable?
Jasper.
I wrote about this trip here and shared a lot more photos, but this trip felt so pivotal for me personally, and I guess spiritually to be honest… And, the fact it was hit by a huge wildfire one month after I was there was also just… a lot to process. This might have been my favourite solo road trip I’ve ever done, and I can’t wait to go back.
Being in the ocean.
A lot. Towards the end of last summer I found a new spot I can swim in the ocean, away from the crowds, and I knew going into this summer it was going to be my spot — and it was. In peak summer I was there multiple times a week, because it’s just so fucking good. And although I’m very lucky to live somewhere that we have multiple bodies of water to choose from, the ocean is always my number one.
Exploring new places on Vancouver Island.
I haven’t shared a blog post from these adventures yet, but I did a couple road trips to the Sooke area on the Island, and damn it’s a nice spot. I had no idea how insane some of the beaches are over there, even if the water is COLD as fuck. It’s a rad place and I didn’t get to see half as much as I wanted to, but that’s just an excuse for future adventures.
Launching really fun shit in my business.
Between the Summer Design Club, the podcast, this blog, and then the Layout Library, all of this feels SO good in my business. It all feels easy, and like it’s totally aligned with where I want my brand to go. And I’m stoked to roll on with these vibes for the rest of the year.
Sooke, Vancouver Island
What didn’t I get to do, that I wanted to?
And… is there still time or space for it? This question popped into my mind as I started to feel kinda sad there was stuff I missed out on, but isn’t there always?? And then, I realised there’s still a good amount of shit I wanted to do, that can still happen… Sure, full sun and hot days would be good for the stuff I’m thinking of, but they can happen anytime, too.
I have a couple day trips I didn’t get to that I might do soon, but I’m not gonna share my own answers to this one. 😉
A mid-summer day trip into the mountains of British Columbia.
What’s the vibe for next season? What’s feeling good? And what’s not?
There’s a lot of other shit you could ponder in reflecting the season that’s ending, but for the sake of keeping this post short-ish, I figure I’ll move onto the next phase of this whole thing, and that’s looking forward.
I find sometimes it’s easy to get into the weeds with this stuff too early in the process, so for the sake of keeping it light and fresh right off the bat, I don’t want to overthink this too much right now in terms of actual planning and setting dates etc etc… Just roll with it. What feels good, and what doesn’t. Simple. The time for making moves can be later, for now it’s just getting all of the shit out of your head, I reckon.
Here’s some of mine…
What’s feeling good?
A solo trip to Tofino.
Making really, really good food… Even if it takes longer than usual.
Making art. Not for my business, just for me. Maybe it’s more photography, drawing, collages, clay stuff, something new, who the fuck knows… Just making art. Yep.
Getting back into a regular movement routine.
More walks outside. Even if it’s just 5 minutes around the block.
More sharing & promoting of the stuff I’ve already made (alongside the new shit).
Consume more art. Books, galleries IRL, movies, whatever. Just bring more creativity of all forms into my life.
Building out my new design course, Layout Legends. BUT, doing it in a way that feels like a full, 100% fuck yes. Not rushed. Slow and steady.
Letting my brand evolve, trusting that I know best for me, and I can do whatever I want in my business.
What’s not feelin’ good?
Forcing anything. Getting stuck in how I think things should be, or how I’ve done it before.
Spending too much time on Instagram. It’s not a source of creativity for me… And it doesn’t feel good.
Getting lost in the sauce of negativity, either my own, or from other people.
Overthinking what I want to share online. Discernment is key, but I don’t want to hold my voice back because of fear.
I think it’s so key to stop and take stock of all of this shit, especially if you’re running a business and your work is very much aligned with you & your life — because this is how you run a business that feels aligned and grounded, and is unique to YOU. You gotta stop, get the fuck away from all the noise, and ask yourself where you’re at, and where you want to go next.
